Internet cut off in Syria

Thursday

Nov 29, 2012 at 12:01 AMNov 29, 2012 at 11:40 AM

BEIRUT (AP) — The Syrian government shut down the Internet across the country and cut cellphone services in select areas today as rebels and government troops waged fierce battles near the capital's airport, forcing international airlines to suspend flights, activists said.

The Internet blackout, confirmed by two U.S-based companies that monitor online connectivity, is unprecedented in Syria's 20-month-old uprising against President Bashar Assad. Regime forces have suffered a string of tactical defeats in recent weeks, and the blackout might be an attempt by the government to dull any further rebel offensives by hampering communications.

Authorities often cut phone lines and Internet access in areas where the regime is conducting military operations to disrupt rebel communications. Activists in Syria reached today by satellite telephone confirmed the blackout.

Renesys, a U.S.-based network security firm that studies Internet disruptions, said in a statement that Syria effectively disappeared from the Internet at 12:26 p.m. local time.

"In the global routing table, all 84 of Syria's IP address blocks have become unreachable, effectively removing the country from the Internet," Renesys said.

Akamai Technologies Inc., another U.S-based company that distributes content on the Internet, also confirmed a complete outage for Syria.

With pressure building against the regime on several fronts, rebels have been trying to push their way back into the capital after being largely driven out after a July offensive into Damascus. Opposition fighters were battling government troops near the city's international airport today, the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said, prompting the military to close the road to the facility.

Both the Dubai-based airline Emirates and EgyptAir have temporarily suspended flights to Damascus.

A senior EgyptAir official said the flight to Damascus scheduled for tomorrow has been canceled in light of the deteriorating conditions at the airport. The official said an emergency meeting is scheduled to look into whether to halt all flights to the Syrian capital.

The airport lies on the capital's southern outskirts, and the surrounding districts have been strongholds of support for the rebels since the start of the uprising.

Government warplanes struck the rebellious districts around Damascus today, including Daraya, where fighting has raged for days as rebels fight their way into the capital, the Observatory said.

The revolt in Syria began with peaceful protests but turned into a civil war after the government waged a brutal crackdown on dissent. Activists say more than 40,000 people have been killed.

In the country's south, rebels bombed the house of a top member of the country's ruling Baath party today, killing him and his three body guards, activists said.

The bombing took place in Daraa, where the uprising began in March 2011. Since then, rebels have frequently targeted regime figures and military commanders. The increasing frequency of bombings has led to concerns about the growing role of Islamist militants in the civil war.